By Roger Sims, rsims@linncountyjournal.com
PARKER – The Parker City Council voted to wait on signing a lease agreement for the Parker Senior Center building with the Linn County Commission until it could further study the costs involved in maintaining the building. Council Member Kandice Higgins made the motion to table the agenda item until after an upcoming budget meeting.
Higgins questioned whether the city could afford the costs involved with taking over the building at 423 W. Kimball St. owned by the county. The agreement would entail the city paying $1 for a 99-year lease on the building.
The agreement stipulated that the building would be available as a polling place for Liberty Township.
Signing the lease would mean that city would take over the cost of utilities including electricity and propane, mowing the lot, insurance on the property and maintenance on the building. The council also discussed installing high speed internet service as well.
A rough calculations on the costs by Higgins came to about $3,500 a year, plus maintenance.
Council Member Gary Earley asked City Clerk Lisa Leach if she would move her office to the former senior center. Leach was reluctant but said she would move the city offices there if the council wanted. She did say she would need internet services.
The clerk’s current office is in an enclosed (and heated) space in a building that houses the city shop just west of Center Street on Main Street.
The council asked City Attorney Geri Hartley to talk with the county’s attorney about adding a clause giving either party a 180-day notice to cancel the lease. The city and the county have been working on the lease agreement since last October, partly because the county has not had an attorney to draft the agreement.
Leach told the council that the center was being rented by three different groups in March. She also told the council she was preparing to update the rules for the use of the center and provide a simplified application for rentals.
The council did not approve an agreement with the city of La Cygne on using La Cygne’s kennel for animal control, an issue that has been on the council’s plate since late last year.
If approved, the contract calls for the city of Parker to pay $25 for each dog La Cygne takes in, plus $10 daily for care. That cost does not include the cost of transporting the dog to La Cygne.
It was determined that Parker has a catcher pole and a kennel that could be placed in the police car for transportation. At this point, however, Parker has no one appointed to catch stray dogs. According to the proposed contract, La Cygne’s animal control could help relocate or adopt the dogs out.
The council also balked on the question of medical expenses if a dog was ill or injured. Hartley suggested that, in that case, after a three-day wait period, the city could order the dog euthanized rather than pay for expensive surgery.
In other business, the council:
Approved purchasing a cell phone plan for Leach that she could use in her duties as codes administrator or other city business. Leach said she didn’t want to use her personal phone for taking photos and other communications. It was suggested that she use one of the police department phones, but Hartley said that would not be a good idea because those phones likely had been used to gather evidence.
Consented to installing better outdoor lighting at the city’s trash compactor.
Approved a plan to provide more detailed information of the sheet of bills to be paid every month. A council member had asked to receive a copy of all the receipts, but City Treasurer Kathy Harrison suggested that it would be less work and less cost if she provided more detail on expenses. She also said that every month she brought the receipts to the council meetings, so the council could ask to see receipts in question.
Learned from Chad Page that Public Wholesale Water Supply District No. 13 board was expected to meet in February and he expected water rates to increase.
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